Ammunition container for aircraft



Aug. i4, 1945. H, HE'RTEL 2,382,715

AMMUNITIQN CONTAINER FOR AIRCRAFT Filed Jun'e 10, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l /n ven [or M'. M

Attarnev Allg. E49 H HESRTEL 2,2,7l5

AMMUNITION CQNTAINER FOR IRCRKFT Filled June 10, 1939 z sheets-sheet 2 /n ventor Affornev Patented Aug. 14, 1945 Heinrich. Hertel,.Rostock, Germany; vesteduiir the Alien Property Gustodian ApplicationJune 10; 1939i Serial No. .278;498 In-GermanyDecember 3, 1937 5i Claims.

For machine guns in aircraft a full ammunition container and an empty ammunition container` a'r'e mostly necessary: Both containers must be' accommodated las near as possible to the. gunso as` to ensure perfect operation of the' gun. The restricted space conditions in an aircraft, however, make it extremely difficult to find the necessary space in direct proximity to the gun.

Arrangements for accommodating the empty ammunition are known, in which the empty' band i's wound'v on a drum located' at a distance from the gun.. whereas the cases are thrown out into the open through an aperture'. It is also known; to guide the ammunition band in the form of an endless link chain in a shaft extending in the longitudinal direction of the-wing. The. leading.' oif of' the cases into the open is open to considerableobjections and also a lin-k chain, be'- cause the full and empty band' ammunition containers must be easily exchangeable.

The objections which have hitherto existed are overcome by theY present invention. The full band container is constructed for accommodating the empty' band'- and the empty ammunition.v The empty ammunition is conducted into the. space of' the ammunitionv container becoming empty during the firing.

The' full' band container according to the invention has either foldable or slid'able walls or both foldable and slidable walls, or'the full' band" is guided along zig-zag. paths over rollers or the like andthe empty band' is pulled' into the space. of the ammunition container becoming free during shooting. The full band box can be: divided' into' severalI compartments which are arranged superposed or' side' by side; As soon as a compartment. becomes empty the partition of the empty compartment is removed by the full band running" out, so that the empty band' can. enter, the opened compartment.

Another arrangement according to the invention consists in that the empty bandA space is shut' on" from the' full; band space' by a flexible' band'. The flexible band is guided by a slide; shiftabl'e on the side ofthev box providedv with a' neck' for the' empty' band;

The' arrangement accordingv to the invention may also" be-such' that the yfull band in' running oil' pulls the empty band intov the position original'lyoccupi'ed by'the'ull band; As the full band r ,f

runsfout ofthe ammunition container the emptyy ba-nd returns therein. The full band is stored in separate compartments4 formed by partitions and' is conductedI over rollers. Somer of these rollers may be additionally driven by a suitable spring motorV or the' like; the drive canvbe controlled so that it only operates when tiring.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically by Way of example in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figfure 1 is aside elevational view; partly in section of an ammunition container constructed in ac'cordancewith the present invention,y

Figure 2' is a detail` sectional' view of' a band contact release,

Figure 3' is' aside elevational view,. partly in section, similar to Figure'. 1i, showing' ammunition containers with two empty compartments;

Figure' 4 is a longitudinal sectional viewof anotherform. of container', showing a different ar'- rangeme'nt o'f'compa'rtments,"

Figure 5i is a side elevational View, partly in section,v of another form of ammunition containerr; i l n Figures' 6i '7"' and. 8 are:v longitudinal' sectional views of. an ammunition container with movable roller guides'for'the ammunition band, the viewsv sequentially illustrating" the; feeding of ammunition and" the' emptying ofthe container;

FigureA 9 is a' side. elevational View of` another form oi` container with` stationary roller' guides and.

Fig;` 1101 i'sV a vdetailL sectional View showing ani electromagnetic .releasing meansy for the parti'- ti'ons in' the container.

In the'` form of construction illustrated in Figsj. 1' to 3 the ammunition box d comprises. several compartments' b, c, d; e, whose size depends upon the'. number of shots which have to be fired; The compartments arranged one below the other contain the full band"v f arranged in loops with ther sides' of' the l'oopsverticalas in' Fig... 1. The full' band f runsr througha vgun g and as empty bandi through a passage h into the compartment o i'n whi'clfi` it is piled up. Guide rollers k; which maybe intercoupled,l guidev the full and empty bandi These rollers'cmay' be driven for example by an electric motor which is` controlled by the f'ull band f.' through the; intermediary of a contact. switch The compartments arranged one below the other are separated by' flaps n, o. These ilaps are drop flaps-and', after the emptying of the compartments, are released in a suitable manner .by mechanical or electrical means, by the full band frunn-ing over contacts p', so that the compartment locatedl under` the flap isV openedl for the reception of the empty band' i;

In Fig: 4 lanother form. of construction is shown; in vwinch` the compartments 1" are arrangedside` byside. Thev partitions s are fold*- ab'le' and'` oscillata'ble. They are under' the action of springs't and released by contacts or unlocking pawlsru on the guide plates and. controlled by the full band ff in running out. The pawls uv alwaysl releasetheA preceding partition s between' two empty compartments' 1'.'

According tov another* form of constructi'fmA (Fig. 5) the ammunition box a has a neck s for the full band and a neck t for the `empty band.

The full band f runs out of neck s and returns into the box a as empty band z' through neck t. On the side of the box provided with the neck for the empty banda guide with a rack or the like is arranged, in which a slide o can move up and down. The slide v comprises a spring motor w which moves the slide towards the bottom of the box. A stop :c prevents the return movement of slide 'v For filling the full band box the stop can be disengaged by a suitable knob.` Ailexible band y is guided by guides e, rollers or other means on the slide o. The ends of the band y are xed in the full belt box. During the downward movement of the slide U the band y'fmally assumes the position y1 and thus forms a closed empty band space. The band y is held taut in any position bythe slide 'u'. .The slide v reaches the position v1 andfin this position' forms with the band y1 the largest empty band space.

The ammunition container a, according to theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9, is divided the empty band i, are guided by pairs of rollersv which consist of two rollers 5,'6 arranged one behind the other and the journals of which are connected by links The full band j is fixed at the pointV 8 and the empty band i has its point of fixation at 9 through the intermediary of'the end band 3. The full band f running outof the container in the direction of the arrow pulls the first pair of rollers 5, 6 into the'position shown in Fig. 7 and successively all the pairs'of rollers 5, 6 guided between the partitions I in the direction towards the full band box wall IIJ. While the full band f is running out, the empty band is pulled through the space 2 between the partitions I by the roller ofthe pairs of rollers 5, 6. The ends I2 of the partitions may carry roller guides or similar means for asslstingthe guiding of the band. One pair of rollers after the `other is brought out of its original position into its extreme position near the box'wa'll I0, until the full band has been red. Thelast portion of the full band may form an intermediate band I3.

The form of construction illustrated in Fig. 9

has partitions I4, at the ends of which stationary rollers I5 are arranged over which rollers the full band f and the empty band i are conducted. The full band and the empty band are connected to form an endless band. A driving mechanism, consisting of a suitable spring'motorfIB or of similar means, may drive one or several of the guide rollers l5 to ensure an easy'movement of the band.

I claim:

l. An ammunition container, especially for machine guns of aircraft, comprising a box shaped receptacle adapted'to receive a full cartridge band in a plurality of layers, means located at a wall of said receptacle for guiding the empty band into the space being vacated by withidrawal of the full band during firing operations, a flexible band extending across the space inside the receptacle secured at opposite ends to different walls thereof and dividing the interior of said container into a compartment forthe full band and a second and separate compartment for the empty band, and a slide in the container wrality of layers, a plurality of partitions in said receptacle, each adapted to occupy a closed position extending across the interior space in said receptacle and an open position extending along the wall of said receptacle, means at the wall of said receptacle for guiding the lled portion Tof the belt out of the receptacle from one side of a partition and means at the wall of said receptacle guiding the empty belt into said receptacle at the opposite side of said last-named partition, said partitions being adapted successively to separate the empty portion of the belt from a lled portion of the belt and means controlled by said belt moving said partitions successively from closed to open position to provide free spaces in said container for reception of the empty portion.

3. An ammunition container adapted to hold` lled and empty portions of a cartridge belt, said container comprising a box-shaped receptacle, adapted to receive the filled portion in a plurality of layers, a plurality of partitions in said.

receptacle, each adapted to occupy a closed position extendingv across the interior space in said Y closed position, electrically operated mechanism for releasing said detent, and an energizing circuit forsaid mechanism including a switch operable by the movement of the full band to close said circuit.

4. The ammunition container claimed in claim 3 wherein said partitions are arranged horizontally across said inner space and are each pivoted adjacent one edge, whereby on release of said detent said partitions move by gravity to open position.

5. An ammunition container comprising a receptacle having an outer wall and adapted to hold iilled and empty portions of a cartridge belt, said wall being formed with an opening for the reception of the empty portion and a second opening for the delivery of the filled portion, a plurality of pairs of rollers in said receptacle, bearings in which said rollers are mounted and means connecting said bearings for maintaining the bearings of each pair a ixed distance apart,

guiding means for each pair of rollers for re-y spectively guiding each pair from a position adjacent one side of the receptacle to a position adjacent the opposite side, one roller of each pair being arranged to carry a loop of the loaded band portion and the other a loop of the empty band portion, and said pair as it is moved across the container by the pulling out of the full band pulls in a bight of the empty band thereby` taking up the slack of the empty band.

M HErNRiCH HERTEL. 

